Letters To The Editor

January 24, 2000

United effort

This past year was the most successful fund- raising campaign in the history of the United Way Isle of Wight. Thanks to the many leaders in this community, our campaign raised $145,586, a 27.7 percent increase over the previous year. The percentage of money Isle of Wight raised over its goal was higher than that of any other Hampton Roads locality.

A special appreciation goes to businesses that set the pace for the campaign, the 1999 Pacesetters:

* Monette Information Systems.

* Smithfield Packing.

* Gwaltney of Smithfield.

* James River Bank-Colonial.

* Smithfield Medical Center.

* Isle of Wight Materials.

Special appreciation goes to the people who devoted their time and effort to make this campaign an overwhelming success, the Campaign and Distribution Cabinet: Linda Bean, Robert Claud, Ollie Creekmore, Constance Rhodes, Phil Frix, Ted Lawson, Jim Reynolds, Ann Seward, Julie Darden, Hilda Harmon, Jeff Noblin, Estelle Jamison, Clara Duck, and Donna Lawson.

A special debt of gratitude also goes to Tywana German, the director of the United Way effort in our community. Through her leadership and dedication, we were able to make it an extreme success.

Richard Turner

Carrollton

Let him spew

Once again the worlds of professional sports and opportunistic media coverage has dismayed and disappointed me.

Fact 1: John Rocker is a jerk.

Fact 2: The Constitution of the United States allows him to be a jerk.

Regardless of whether Rocker is a racist, sexist, an American elitist or just a jerk is immaterial. He is entitled to his opinions, and entitled to express them whether others agree with them or not.

Since when was it a requirement for everyone in America to be politically correct and to have the same opinions, likes and dislikes as everyone else? Where's the diversity in that?

The call by some for Major League Baseball to take some form of action against Rocker's comments is not only legally wrong but also morally wrong.

John Gaidowski

Newport News

Prescient words

Martin Luther spoke with incredible foresight when he made the following statement regarding "Christian education" in the 16th century:

"I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of Hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt."